Method and apparatus for manufacturing paper



Sept. 15, 1936. R. c. HURREY METHOD'AND APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURINGPAPER Filed May 5, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet l siiiiv ATTORNEY p 36- 1 R. c.HURREY 2,054,630

METHOD- AND APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING PAPER Filed May'5, 1954 2Sheet-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ATTORN EY Patented Sept. 15, 1936 METHOD ANDAPPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING PAPER Ross C. Hurrey, Staten Island, N. Y.,assignor to International Paper Company, New York, N. Y., a corporationof New York Application May 5 1934, Serial No. 724,049

14 Claims. (01. 92-44) One of the objects of my invention is to improvepaper formation so as'to reduce theearly drainage and to increase theretention of any filler such as clay, calcium carbonate or the like,

5 which may be present in the furnish.

A further object of my invention isto provide a means for securing achemical reaction in the pulp mix as it is applied to the wire. This maybe done for the purpose of improving brightness,

1 color setting, sizing, or to disperse foam or for various otherreasons which will appear in greater detail hereafter.

A further object of my invention is to increase the speed at which agiven furnish can be formed 15 into paper.

A further object of my invention is to eliminate and/or to minimize thenecessity for'shaking the wire.

These and other objects will appear in con- 20 iiection with thedetailed description which folows.

Heretofore every effort has been made to insure the smoothest possiblestream of pulp being supplied to the wire. As a result the fibres have25 approached the wire more 'or less aligned in the direction of theirmovement, i. e.: following the flow lines of the water.

As a result, at the time the pulp stream approaches the first tablerolls an enormous drain- 30 age occurs before there is any appreciablefelting. This drainage may amount to as much as 60% of the total waterremoval and has a tendency to produce extreme two-sidedness as well asto lose any filler which may be present. I

have found that by theuse of certain mechanical forces tending todisrupt the flow lines, the fibres,

immediately upon or before reaching an area of drainage, can be made toassume more transversepositions and to become felted. As a resuit, whenthe fibres are in the drainage area they tend to retard the movement ofwater through the wire, and thus greatly increase the retention offiller and improve the general formation of the sheet.

45 It is well known that for the purpose of setting color in papermanufacture some form of mordant is frequently necessary. Unfortunately,the mordant frequently is chemically inimical to other ingredients ofthe mix, and if added to the 50 mix in the earlier stages of itstreatment, will mordant, but is by no'means the only form since almostany acidicmaterial will act to some extent as a mordant. In particularthe reaction between alum'and a filler such as cacium carbonate isundesirable. If the alum is added at the beat- 5 ers to the furnishcontaining calcium carbonate, foaming on a very serious scale is apt todevelop when the furnish is diluted and run out on the wire. This occursbecause the alum in concentrated form enjoys an appreciable time ofcontact with the carbonate in concentrated'form. It has been thoughtheretofore that the time of contact or the intimacy of mixture betweenthe alum and the calcium carbonate were the determining factors onfoaming. My own experiments lead me to believe that foaming is due tothe relative concentration of the two materials when they come incontact. When a concentrated stream of alum is fed into the heaters 'anappreciable time must elapse before there is any great distribution, andthe alum in concentrated condition has therefore a considerable time toact upon the carbonate in equally concentrated condition. If the alum beapplied to the wire when the mix is in a condition of maximum dilution.a very mild alum solution can be used and despite the utmost intimacy ofcontact the concentrations involved are not sufficient to produce anydeleterious effect. I have found that less than I A, the amount of 'alumnormally used in a given furnish is necessary when the alum is appliedat the wire.

.- I have found that by directing, partly against the slice itself andpartly against the pulp stream,

a series of high velocity sprays, I secure 'a decidedly improvedformation. The effect of this is to disrupt the flow lines of the fibresand cause preliminary felting before any substantial drainage hasoccurred. This effect is greatly increased and-improved by extending theapron a substan- 40 tial distance outwardly from the slice so that thesprays act on the pulp stream entirely or almost so in the area of theapron. When the already felted mass reaches the drainage area itpromptly forms a filter cake, greatly reducing drainage in the earlystages. As a result of such reduction any filler such as calciumcarbonate or clay is retained to a far greater extent than wouldordinarily be the case, and the phenomenon of twosidedness isaccordingly reduced.

By having each spray emerge from the nozzle in the form of a hollow coneit is possible to direct the upper half of the cone against the sliceand the lower half of the cone against the pulp stream. In case achemical effect is desired or if any material such as flller oradditional stock or coloring matter is to be added by means of thespray, this arrangement provides a stream of the added material whichflows out on top of the main pulp stream emerging from the slice. Thisupper stream is promptly and thoroughly mixed by the action of the lowerhalf of the spray which, at high velocity and having a component opposedto the direction of pulp flow, violently encounters the pulp streamimmediately upon its leaving the slice. As a result, the added materialis incorporated in the felt (which, it is believed. actually begins toform at this point) with the utmost thoroughness.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is an end elevation showing one form of my invention:

Fig. 2 is a perspective view 01. the arrangement shown in Fig. 1;

Figs. 3 and 4 show alternative arrangements of the sprays illustrated inFigs. 1 and 2:

Figs. 5, 6 and '7, respectively, show possible arrangements of adiiferent type of spray;

Fig. 8 shows an arrangement for oscillating the spray pipe about its ownaxis;

Fig. 9 shows an arrangement for reciprocating the spray pipetransversely of the machine;

Fig. 10 shows an arrangement for reciprocating the spray pipe parallelto the direction of pulp flow.

The invention is shown in Fig. 1 as consisting of a. head box I, havinga slice 2 which regulates the flow of pulp 3 onto the forming wire. Anapron 4 extends beyond the slice over the breast roll 5. The wire 6coming around the breast roll passes under the apron. The wire and apronare supported intermediate the breast roll and the first table roll I bya series of set boards 8. These boards are shown as five in number,three of them underlying and supporting the apron, the other two servingto support the wire intermediate the end of the apron and the firsttable roll. The number and location of these set boards may, of course,be varied, and it is also within the scope of my invention to use anyother suitable means of support. It is also within the scope of myinvention to terminate the apron at or near the lip of the slice.

A pipe 8 is placed above the wire and runs transversely across theentire width of the machine. This pipe is equipped with various nozzlesl0 which direct a spray at high velocity in the form of a hollow coneagainst the pulp stream and, as shown in Fig. 1, partly against theslice. The nozzles are so spaced that the spray circles overlap andcover the entire width of the slice. It will be noted that approximatelyhalfof the spray area lands on the pulp stream and the other half isdirected against the slice. That portionwhlch is directed against thepulp'stream has a substantial component of motion opposed to the flow ofthe pulp stream. The velocity of the spray is suificient to penetratethe pulp stream. As a result there is violent agitation of the pulpstream at all points where the spray cuts into it. Due to the componentof the spray opposed to the flow of the pulp there is a decided tendencyto arrange the fibres transversely to the direction of pulp flow andthus to bring them into felted condition. This reaction is almostinstantaneous and forms the pulp into a-felted web, thus greatlyreducing the tendency to drainage, and conserving any filler whileimproving the formation of Y the sheet.

In case a chemical eiiect is desired or if it is desired to add solidmaterial such, for example,

as is contained in the white water, to the pulp stream, the arrangementshown in Fig. 1 is especially advantageous. The upper portion of thespray being directed against the slice produces a thin stream of fluidwhich runs down the slice and forms a fluid layer on top of the pulpstream emerging from the slice. The lower half of the spray violentlyagitates the two layers and results in thorough mixing. In this waytwosidedness is almost entirely avoided.

In Fig. 3 the nozzles are shown directed vertically downward so that theentire area under spraying action is subjected to components of motionin every possible direction. This tends to insure a uniform felting ofthe fibres'in all directions and to equalize the tearing strength of thesheet in all directions.

In Fig. 4 nozzles are inclined so as to direct the spray generally inthe direction 'of pulp flow. This is especially advantageous whereextreme web speeds are desired. It is possible that the arrangementshown in Figs. 1 and 3 might, at web speeds upwards of 1200 feet perminute, result in too violent a reaction between the spray and the flowof the pulp. It is necessary, using any nozzles of this sort, to havesuilicient velocity in the spray to insure proper distribution, andthere is, as a practical matter, a fairly abrupt upper limit to thevelocity at whichthe spray can remain effective. When extreme web speedsare used, the arrangement shown in Fig. 4 still produces a resultantbetween the spray and pulp.

stream which is opposed, as a matter of relative tion shown in Fig. 5 aflat spray is directed on an.

incline substantially opposed to the direction of the flow of the pulpstream. Such a spray effects a momentary damming up of the particlesinto a thicker layer of fluid and at the same time violently agitatesit. In particular this type of agitation tends to roll the fibres in thebackwash of the intersecting streams. The rolled mass is then flattenedas it passes directly under the spray. This occurs as a continuousprocess and produces a type of felting which is particularly desirablefor many kinds of pulp.

In the form shown in Fig. 6 the damming up just referred to occurs to alesser extent than in the form of Fig. 5 and there is less tendency toroll the fibres in the backwash of the intersecting streams.

In the form of Fig. '7 there is little or no dam-- ming up except atextreme web speeds, and at extreme speeds the arrangement of Fig. 7 canbe made to perform most of the functions of the forms of Figs. 5 and 6.

The beneficial effect of the use of all of the various forms of spraysabove described is con- I Also, the inclination of the nozzles may be inshaft |5 rotates the arm II will be oscillated and accordingly the pipe9 with its nozzles III will oscillate about its own axis.' The mechanismjust described should be duplicated at both ends of the pipe 9 whenextreme machine widths are used. This arrangement will be founddesirable in certain cases, and if the oscillation be made extremelyrapid the agitation of the pump stream and consequently the felting ofthe fibres will be improved.

In Fig. 9 the pipe 9, slidably supported in a bracket 21, is shown ashaving a clamp 20 at one end. A bell crank 2| is secured by a pin andfork connection 22 at one end to the clamp 20 and is fulcrumed to asuitable fixed member 23. A link 24 is pivotally joined at one end to anarm of the bell crank 2 I, and at its other end is pivoted to aneccentric pin 25 driven by a shaft 26. F As the eccentric pin rotatesthe bell crank is rocked and draws the pipe back and forth in adirection transverse to the direction of flow of the pulp stream. Thisis a particularly desirable arrangement in that it insures greatuniformity of the spraying action. In case one or more nozzles becomewholly or partially plugged the spraying action will be maintained atalmost its full efliciency by the action of adjacent nozzles which arebrought into position by the reciprocation of the pipe. It will, ofcourse, be understood that the support 21 will occur at both ends of thepipe, and in the case of especially wide machines it may be well tointerposefone or moreiintermediate supports. In general it will not benecessary to duplicate the bell crank mechanism at both ends of thepipe, but this' can be done if desired. The arrangement of Fig. 9 tendsto produce the same effect as is now produced by shaking the wire, andwhen this installation is used the shaking can be reduced or evendispensed with.

In Fig. 10 is shown a bracket to which is Q pivoted one end of a link40. The other end of the link rotatably supports the pipe -9. A secondlink 42 has a strap It at one end, freely surrounding the pipe 9. ,Atits other end, the second link 4215 pivotally secured to an eccentricpin 43 driven by a shaft 44. As the eccentric pin rotates, the pipe 9 isswung back and forth on the link In about the pivot of the bracket 45,in

accomplishes every purpose which is usually attained by shaking thewire. In many cases, and usually at upper web speeds, the shaking of thewire can be dispensed with if the sprays are installed. While I havementioned the arrangement in Fig. '9 as particularly supplanting theshake, any of the arrangements above discussed will act to greater orless degree to produce that efiect.

It is to be noted that the manufacture of paper is probably the mostempirical of any major industry, and the practice will vary not onlywith every plant but actually with every machine. It diflers with thetypes of pulp and with the other ingredients of each furnish. For thatreason it is difiicult, if not impossible, to state that any of theexpedients above described is preferable under all circumstances. Itwill be necessary to determine the precise type of nozzle, its exactlocation and inclination and its preferred velocity individually foreach installation. While I have stated that the extended apron isdesirable, it is by no means essential, and the sprays may be placed atvarious distances from the slice and above the wire. Moreover, types ofsprays other than the two basic types here discussed may be usedeffectively for various purposes. It is not therefore my intention tolimit this invention .to the precise forms herein disclosed, but only asset forth in the appended claims which are to be broadly construed.

I claim:

1. In the process of making paper, the steps which comprise supplying ameasured stream of pulp'to drainage areas and directing a fluid jetagainst said stream before said stream reaches said drainage areas.

2.. In the process of making paper, the steps which comprise supplyingthe measured stream of pulp to drainage areas and directing against saidstream a fluid jet having a component of motion acting oppositely to thefiow of said stream.

3. In the process of making paper, the step which comprises directinga.fluid jet against a pulp streamleaving the .slice of .a Fourdriniermachine at a velocity greater than that of the stream and in such adirection as to have a component of motion in the direction of the pulpstream before .any fluid has drained from said 3 pulp stream.

4. In the process of making paper, the step which comprises directing afluid jet against a 1131111) stream leaving the slice of a Fourdrinierstream before any fluid has drained from said pulp stream, the velocityof such component being less than the velocity of the stream.

5. In the process of making paper, the steps which comprise, directing ahigh velocity fluid jet, in the form of a hollow cone, against thestream of pulp emerging from the slice of a Fourdrinier machine, theupper portion of said jet being directed against the slice and the lowerportion against the stream. 6. In the process of making paper, the stepswhich comprise, supplying a measured stream of pulp to a traveling wirehaving no lateral movement, andv directing a fluid jet against saidstream to disrupt the same.

7. In a Fourdrinier machine, a traveling wire,

a, .slice supplying a stream of pulp to said wire, a Y

pipe mounted above said wire, a series of spray nozzles in said pipe,said nozzles being directed toward said wire to supply high velocityjets,

. and means to oscillate said pipe about its own stream before saidstream reaches said drainage areas.

10. In the process oi. making paper, the steps which comprise, supplyinga measured stream of pulp to drainage areas and directing a fluid Jet inthe form of a flat sheet against said stream. before said stream reachessaid drainage areas.

11. In the process of making paper, the steps which comprise, supplyinga measured stream of pulp to drainage areas, directing a fluid jetagainst said stream before said stream reaches said drainage areas andreciprocating said jet in a direction transverse to the direction offlow of said stream.

'12. In the process of making paper, the steps which comprise, supplyinga measured stream of pulp to drainage areas and adding stock to saidpulp by means 01 fluid jets directed against said stream before saidstream reaches said drainage areas.

13. In the process of making paper, the steps which comprise, supplyinga measured stream of pulp mixed with calcium carbonate to drainage areasand adding an alum solution to said pulp by means of fluid jets directedagainst said stream before said stream reaches said drainage areas.

14. A method of fixing the color 01. paper which comprisessubjecting thestream of furnish emerging from the slice of a Fourdrinier machine tothe action of a mordant applied as a high velocity jet directed againstsaid stream after it emerges from the slice and before it reaches anydrainage area of the wire.

' ROSS C. HURREY.

